Cognitive-Developmental Education Based on Stages of Understanding Experiences of Beauty

Arthur Danto has argued that beauty isn’t simply a value we live by, but a value that defines what a human life is. It is, therefore, important to help support students’ development of their understanding of experiences of beauty. The research described herein provides a tentative roadmap for teachers to apply toward the cognitive development of their students’ understandings of their experiences of beauty. A preliminary cognitive-developmental schema of stages of understanding experiences of beauty is presented. A cross-sectional group of participants, N = 105, ranging from ages four to eighty-nine completed the Understanding Beauty Interview (UBI). Subjects’ responses to the UBI were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed vis- à-vis cognitive-developmental stage level. Interrater reliability and concurrent validity were demonstrated, respectively, by a kappa coefficient of .76 and a strongly positive correlation (r = .92) with a well-established measure of cognitive development, Kohlberg’s Moral Judgment Interview. A high-moderate correlation of UBI stage with age (r = .61) supported the UBI’s criterion-related validity, and discriminative validity was reflected in a medium-low correlation of the UBI with a measure of trait engagement with beauty (r = .39). No gender differences were found regarding stage levels of understanding beauty. It appears that analysis of understanding beauty interviews can produce a reliable and valid cognitive developmental stage schema. Implications for the educational application of this cognitive developmental schema are addressed in the discussion section.